RBT: What can be done so that the port operators withstand the current hostile economic climate?
Brian Thomas: To start with, the crisis will not be catastrophic for the port operators, but in the shipping business there will be blood. At the moment, there are 10-15% drops in traffic for many ports, but shipping companies have more serious problems and most likely we will see a consolidation of their sector. And if, following the crisis, there will be less shipping companies, they will be stronger, and also will negotiate much tougher contractual relations with port terminals. Accordingly, the crisis will have delayed adverse effects on port operators. Therefore, keeping the existing customers is of utmost importance.
RBT: Is there a need to change the development priorities defined before the crisis - perhaps to focus on removing existing bottlenecks and less on expansion of operating capacity, since the traffic has decreased?
B.T.: I have not noticed such a phenomenon in other countries, but I did find that in other major ports, a large number of investments are postponed.
For Constanta, I think primarily a better promotion should do it. For example, I did know where the port is located, but I would have never suspected that its last year traffic was in excess of 62 million tones. Of course, not only numbers matter: if I would recommend Constanta to a world class port operator, he would ask me about the quality of services here, about labor relations, the regulations, people’s training.
